Station database fields 2/27/03 Fred Klein This is a list of fields presently in the NCSN station database and spreadsheet. Its immediate purpose is to contain the station and response data needed for generating mini-SEED volumes of NCSN seismograms at the Berkeley data center. The database is built from data in many ascii files generated for different purposes, and eventually may replace those files or "databases", such as the summary of maintenance data kept by and for the electronics staff.. It is presently a flat file, all data in one file. It presently exists as an ascii comma delimited (csv) file and in a excel spread sheet (xls file), but other forms will be needed. The file is incomplete and presently has many errors! This is a progress report 2/27/03. Each line is the data that applies for an interval of time, bounded by the start date/time and end date/time. For a given station and channel, the end date of one line should agree with the start date of the next. The ingredient files include (1) calsta2000.loc (complete record of all channels ever used by the NCSN, with station locations and operation dates, maintained by Fred Klein); (2) calsta.db (sensor and datalogger types and sensitivities for currently operating NCSN channels, maintained by Jim Luetgert), supplemented by calsta.more, a file with historical instrumentation info not currently recording; (3) the maintenance history file with seismometer and VCO information, field visits, tape assignments, etc, started by Jerry Eaton and maintained by Bob Somera and Dave Oppenheimer; (4) a handfull of special purpose files generated by Fred with the sample rate, pin (digitizer channel), decimation history, etc; and (5) SEED response files provided by Grey Jensen. At present the database is constructed from the constituent files as needed with a program called chandata. The separate files are thus the primary authority, but the database may eventually become the authority when its software environment is finalized. When the field/cell is blank, the data has not yet been provided or entered. When the the cell has a special character, special meanings are in effect: "-", that item does not apply or did not exist at that time. "~", data for analog stations before 1978 which probably will never be filled. "^", response data which are "built on the fly" by software, not the spreadsheet The temporary exceptions are the "primary datalogger" field #34 and "datalogger serial #" field #21. Here, a "-" indicates both an analog station before the digital era ("-"=n/a is correct), and sometimes a missing name to be filled in ("-" means the same as blank elsewhere). # title example ------------------------------- 1 0 'Net code', NC 2-letters 2 1 'Site code', KCPB 3-5 letters 3 2 'Location code' -- either '--' for "only one location", or '01' or '02' for a moved station 4 3 'Channel name', BHZ USGS 3-letter code, some are SEED 5 4 'Start date', 08/03/1999 00:00 GMT time 6 5 'End date', 01/01/3000 23:59 GMT time; 01/01/3000 means still operating 7 6 'Status', I C for complete, I otherwise 8 7 'Status date', 11/30/2001 date spreadsheet generated 9 8 'Operator', GSM Owner-maintainer of the station, generally maps to net code 10 9 'Latitude', 39.686310 decimal degrees north 11 10 'Longitude', -123.582420 decimal degrees east 12 11 'Elevation m', 1261 elevation of the sensor, not the ground surface 13 12 'Depth m', 0 0 for surface stations, >0 for stas with '1' in site code 14 13 'Azim', 0 of sensor 15 14 'Dip', 90 of sensor 16 15 'Station name', CAHTO PEAK BROADBAND English name of the station 17 16 'Chan type', P P for primary (ground sensor), E for external 18 17 'Sample rate', 100 nominal samples per second (see note 1) 19 18 'Sensor serial #' 1234 a number, not a link 20 19 'Preamp serial #', 6789 a number, not a link 21 20 'Datalog serial #', 45 a number, not a link 22 21 'Sensor chan #', 1 1 for L4s, 1-3 for episensors, etc 23 22 'Preamp chan #', 1 1 for analog VCOs, 1-6 Nanometrics, etc 24 23 'Primary digit code', '2' 1-let code for primary digitizer (note2) 25 24 'Pin # (primary)', 33 Pin (digitizer channel) for primary 26 25 'Secondary digit code', 'E' 1-let code for secondary digitizer 27 26 'Pin # (secondary)', 22 Pin (digitizer channel) for secondary 28 27 'FIR filt', link to FIR filter file 29 28 'Sensor type', L4c model number or name 30 29 'Sensor units', v/m/s 31 30 'Sens senstivity', 100.0 (eg v/m/s) 32 31 'Preamp type', NCSN analog For analog stations, includes preamp/ VCO combination 33 32 'Gain (preamp)', 2.0 (for analog station this is 18 db atten) 34 33 'Datalogger (primary)', K2, or CUSP Tustin on-line, see note 2 35 34 'Datalogger (secondary)'Eclipse Tustin off-line, see note 2 36 35 'Digit sens (mv/c)', 0.9954 sensitivity in microvolt/count. 37 36 'FM freq channel', 1 VCO carrier channel on phone line (0-8) 38 37 'Tape track', 2 (1-14), analog only 39 38 'Tape rec', A Tape recorder (A-E), analog only 40 39 'Field remarks', AZ Technician remark codes A-Z (see note 3) 41 40 'Sensor response', Name of sensor response file 42 41 'Preamp response', Name of preamp response file 43 42 'Digitizer 1 response', Name of digitizer 1 response file 44 43 'Digitizer 2 response', Name of digitizer 2 response file 45 44 'topo/GPS' WGS84 location reference frame NAD27/WGS84 (5) 46 45 'SEED chan' EHZ SEED channel name 47 46 'Decimation FIR filt' 48 47 'Decimation rate' 20 49 48 'Decimation chan' SHZ SEED code for decimation channel (note 6 50 49 'Comments' SPECIAL CHARACTERS - A field with just one character has special meaning: "-": Does not apply at this time. "^": Generate SEED response file on the fly. "~": Data is missing, but this is a pre-1977 period when records were not kept, and data will probably never be found. blank: Data is missing and should be filled in later. NOTES TO DATA FIELD LIST 1) The sample rate is NOMINAL (50, 100, 200 typically). The actual sample rate (perhaps 100.82 sps) is given in the catalog arc file and the mem file. These irregular sample rates are generally confined to 1984. The presence and first date of a sample rate for a station indicates that the first seismogram was saved on that date because it was picked or showed a signal. Recording and seismograms may exist before that date, but they are not part of the saved seismogram database. 2) The 'Primary digit code',refers to the real time digitizer code (from the catalog arc file) for analog stations digitized in Menlo Park. This is either '2' for the CUSP Tustin #2, or 'N' for the National digitizer. The primary digitizer channel (pin number) is the input channel on the digitizer. The pin numbers will be useful for determining digitizer skewness in the seismograms, and also for helping identify mistakes. For the few days when both the '2' and 'N' digitizers operated, this field will alternate between the two, but it is rare (or impossible?) that both digitized the same event. The record of which digitizer was used is determined from the pick catalog: this means that the larger collection of un-picked sesismograms during the overlap period of the two digitizers may change more often, but is not documented in the spreadsheet. The digitizer used for important, picked seismograms should be correct, however. The "preamp" for these analog systems is a preamp-VCO in the field and a discrimator in MP just before the digitizer. The 'Secondary digit code' refers to the off-line digitizer for events recorded on FM magnetic tape. Digitizing was controlled by an Eclipse computer with its own digitizer ('E') or VAX/750 with a Tustin digitizer ('F'). These seismograms overlap in time with the on-line systems and in fact both on-line and off-line seismograms from the same channel can exist for the same event. The digitizer code and pin number are in the catalog arc file. A corresponding digitizer code is in the SRC tuple in the mem file as is the pin number. This is one of the few cases where near (but not exact) duplicate seismograms exist in the database with the same station and channel code. Other secondary digitizer codes are '4', '6' and '8' for various Pasadena digitizer combinations. 3) The field remarks are a series of 1-letter codes made by the technicians from the following list: A - New installation B - Replacement of unit C - Re installation of original unit after repair D - Change attenuation E - Change Battery F - Off frequency G - VCO problems H - Calibrator problems I - Deviation change J - Seismometer Problems JB Seismometer replacement K - Telephone problems L - Signal level problems M - Radio Problems MB radio replacement N - Antenna problems NB Antenna replacement O - Landline Problems OB Landline replacement P - Grounding problems Q - Flooding problems R - Routine maintainance,not covered by other codes S - Seismometer leveling problems T - Seismicly dead station U - Amplifier problems V - Vandalism W - Summing amp problems WB Summing amp replacement X - Noise Problems* Y - Stabilizer Problems Z - Tape channel change \ - Temporary removal from tape recorder / - Permanent removal from tape recorder (may imply site removal) 1 - Power Repair/Replacement 2 - Data Logger Exchange 3 - Firmware Changes 4 - Data Recording and Transmission Parameter Change 5 - GPS Recording/Equipment Repair 6 - Satellite Equipment Repair/Replacement 7 - Earthworm Digitizing and Recording Repair/Replacement/Upgrade 8 - Microwave Equipment Replacement/Repair 9 - Telemetry Access Hardware Replacement # - Site Electronic Noise/Interference + - hardware change requires new channel/location { - data recording begins } - data recording ends @ - Site Move ! - Site Removal * When a station is temproarily removed from tape, an X is placed in col 68 and a Z in col 80. When a station is "permanently" removed, a Z is placed in col 68 and a Z is placed in col 80 (columns refer to the original maintenance history punch card format). The field remarks generally refer to a condition acted on at an instant in time. This differs from most of the other fields which are a parameter or state existing over an interval of time. The remark was made at the start time of the time interval for a given database line. The remarks are not carried forward from line to line, but most other parameters are carried forward from line to line until they are changed. All stopped channels should have a terminating remark, but many do not. We are adding missing terminations when we can. @ (Site Move) and ! (Site Removal) mean what they say and are probably correct when they are used. Often a channel is stopped when the equiptment changes (analog to digital for example), but the analog channel (VHZ for example) was not assigned a terminating remark at the time. } (data recording ends) or + (hardware change requires new channel/location) are appropriate for this case, but these remarks were recently introduced and are not universally applied. The traditional terminating remark is "Z/" or "Z" and is often used historically, but is not really complete or correct in today's usage. { (data recording begins) is appropriate for stations that undergo a period of construction and testing before data recording actually starts. There is often a period of remarks for days or weeks before recording begins. 5) The location reference frame is either NAD27 (inferred from topo maps) or WGS84 (GPS differential or hand-held). 6) This is the SEED code for the decimated channel (ie SHZ). The channel codes in the mem and grm files of the decimated events (teleseisms) still have their original channel names (ie VHZ (USGS) or EHZ (SEED)) and must be converted to SHZ on output.